Revolutionize your HR with 3 Essential Documents
We believe the role of HR is to set the foundation for an employee’s experience with your organization. Their interactions with HR set the tone for how that employee will experience the rest of the organization. Therefore it is crucial that your HR has clear and complete communication. You’ve heard us talk about handbooks, manuals, and agreements, but at some point, they all start to blur together.
Today, let’s discuss three essential documents for clear communication within your organization’s HR: your Staff Lifestyle Agreement, Staff Handbook, and Operations Manual. Although they might seem confusingly similar, each communicates a unique piece that creates a unified snapshot about what your organization believes, why, and how to implement those beliefs in both behavior and practices.
A Foundational Side Note
Before we get into the three, let’s back up and talk about something you should already have: a Statement of Faith. This foundational document sets the tone for not just your organization but should also heavily influence all your HR documents and decisions. It defines your beliefs with Scriptural backing. It informs everyone of who you are and what you stand for. It sets up the entire basis for your mission, core values, and all employment decisions. If you don’t have one, the following three documents will have very little to stand on. Make sure this document is solid before you even begin to develop the following.
The Contract: Staff Lifestyle Agreement
Your Staff Lifestyle Agreement outlines expectations for outward living based on the beliefs in your Statement of Faith. If the Statement of Faith is the skeleton of your organization, your Staff Lifestyle Agreement is its HR flesh. It tells your staff how to practically live out those previously outlined beliefs. It ensures all parties, employer and employee, are aware of both expectations and consequences and agree with them. Although it gets rap as a “gotcha” document, if composed and implemented with the right heart, it is the most life-giving document in your arsenal. It should be the basis and helpmate for every hard conversation you have, giving you a clear ruler to measure all behaviors against in order to identify differences in beliefs and opportunities for growth.
The Rulebook: Staff Handbook
Once your staff understands your heart and expectations they need to know what to do about them. This is where your Staff Handbook comes in. It is where those beliefs become practical and actionable. It spells out what to do next through laws, rules, parameters, and policies. It also sets the framework for your employee/employer relationship by communicating your generosity (through benefits) and your requirements (through policy) so all parties know what is expected.
The Playbook: Operations Manual
The fourth and final document you need is an Operations Manual. This document brings the “what” from your Staff Handbook to life. During training, a new employee is inundated with information they don’t need yet: “This is how you submit a reimbursement,” “That’s who you ask about time off,” or “When there’s a problem, you turn here,”. The Operations Manual ensures that when they finally do need that information it is in one place and at their fingertips. Not only does it communicate the preparedness of your organization, but it also gives your employees more autonomy and independence.
What They Do Together
As long as they stay compliant, up to date, and based on a solid foundation, these three HR documents ensure clear and complete communication and set up both your employees and your organization for success. While the compliance and legal protection they provide are important, the most crucial thing they do is communicate your heart: they show what you believe and why and, in the process, build your relationship and trust with each staff member.
In the long run, these three documents keep your ministry running smoothly towards your mission while creating an incredible work environment for your people. They create security and give you a solid foundation to turn to during hard and confusing moments. The consistent communication they encourage and the relationships with employees that result naturally lead to healthy culture and unity in your organization.
Need help creating or updating one of your essential documents?
Authored by the HRMS Team, a group of dedicated church HR experts who draw from extensive ministry experience to keep your organization compliant and healthy. Schedule a call and find out how we can help you simplify your organization’s HR here.